Patent Application
20050128532
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a slip-resistant and portable scanner, and more particularly to a slip-resistant and portable scanner capable of conveniently and stably scanning a document placed on a wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional portable scanner typically has two functions. The first function is to enable a user to place a document on the scanner for scanning the document, while the second function is to enable the user to take the scanner to scan a document, such as a placard, which cannot be easily moved. Thus, the conventional portable scanner can operate under various states, such as a horizontal downward scanning state, a horizontal upward scanning state, and a vertical slant state.
When the user wants to place the conventional portable scanner on the to-be-scanned document placed on the wall, because the surface of the scan window is very smooth, the scanner tends to slip relative to the to-be-scanned document owing to the action of the gravity force or external force interference. In this case, the scan region of the to-be-scanned document fluctuates, and the scan process may fail or the scan quality is poor. In order to avoid the above-mentioned condition, the user usually has to exert a larger force to push the scanner against the document on the wall more stably. However, when the scanner is scanning the document on the wall in a high-resolution color mode, the scanning time is much longer. So, it is difficult for the user to exert the large force during a long period of time, or the user's arm may ache.
Therefore, it is an important subject of the invention to provide a portable scanner that can be used conveniently.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a slip-resistant and portable scanner capable of effectively preventing the scanner and a document in contact with the wall from slipping relative to each other, and thus facilitate the user to complete the scan operation easily.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention provides a slip-resistant and portable scanner for scanning a document placed on a document platen. The scanner includes a housing, a scan window, a scanning module and a slip-resistant structure. The scan window is mounted on the housing to closely face the document. The scanning module is disposed in the housing to scan the document via the scan window. The slip-resistant structure is formed on the scan window and in contact with the document or document platen. Thus, it is possible to prevent the scan window from slipping relative to the document, and to enhance the scan quality and convenience.
The above-mentioned slip-resistant structure may be a ring-shaped slip-resistant stick or an L-shaped slip-resistant stick for defining a maximum scan region and providing a reference point or reference corner for document scanning.
The slip-resistant and portable scanner 10 includes a housing 11, a scan window 12, a scanning module 13 and a slip-resistant structure 14. The scan window 12 is mounted on the housing 11 to closely face the document 2. The scanning module 13 is disposed in the housing 11 to scan the document 2 via the scan window 12. The scanning module 13 is preferably capable of sliding under the scan window 12 along a guiding rod 13A and in contact with the scan window 12 so as to keep the distance between the module 13 and the document 2 constant. The slip-resistant structure 14 is formed on the scan window 12 and in contact with the document 2 or document platen 1. Thus, it is possible to prevent the scan window 12 from slipping relative to the document 2. Specifically speaking, when the to-be-scanned region of the document 2 is smaller than a maximum scan region 16 of the slip-resistant and portable scanner 10, the slip-resistant structure 14 contacts the document platen 1. When the to-be-scanned region of the document 2 is larger than the maximum scan region 16 of the slip-resistant and portable scanner 10, the slip-resistant structure 14 contacts the document 2. Alternatively, according to the selected scan range, it is possible to make the slip-resistant structure 14 contact both the document 2 and the document platen 1.
The slip-resistant structure 14 includes a slip-resistant material disposed on a part of the scan window 12 and usually around the scan window 12. Alternatively, the slip-resistant material may be applied on or adhered to the scan window 12 by way of coating, adhering, or the like.
The slip-resistant and portable scanner 10 of this embodiment may further selectively include at least one of the following members of: a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection port 21, a power management unit 22, a battery 23, a remote transceiver 24 and a memory device 25. The USB connection port 21 is connected to a host 30 through a signal line. The power management unit 22 connected to the USB connection port 21 receives and manages a host power, which comes from the host 30, for the operation of the slip-resistant and portable scanner. The above-mentioned architecture may make the user feel inconvenient when he or she is using the scanner due to the limitation of the signal line. Thus, the battery 23 may be adopted to provide a battery power for the operation of the slip-resistant and portable scanner. The battery 23 also may be charged by receiving the host power coming from the USB connection port 21. The signal line, which is provided for the purpose of transmission of the scan signal, may also influence the convenience of using the scanner. So, the remote transceiver 24 may be adopted to be signal-connected to the host 30 in a wireless manner so that an image signal, which is obtained when the scanning module 13 is scanning the document 2, can be transmitted to the host 30. Alternatively, the memory device 25 also may be adopted to store the image signal obtained when the scanning module 13 is scanning the document 2. The memory device 25 may be a memory card similar to that in a digital camera, or a portable hard disk having a USB interface.
The housing 11 includes a transparent bottom 11B facing the scan window 12 and a hollow frame 11A. The hollow frame 11A and the transparent bottom 11B may be independent members or formed into a one-piece member. The transparent bottom 11B helps the user to quickly find a scan reference point before the document on the wall is scanned.
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According to the above-mentioned design of the invention, the user can easily take this scanner to scan the document on the wall. The stable static state between the scanner and the document can be maintained without exerting the force too laboriously during the scanning process. The slip-resistant structure disposed on the scan window can prevent the scanner and the document from slipping relative to each other, and can further provide a reference point or region to facilitate the scanning of the document such that the scanning operation can be precisely achieved. In addition, when the scanner of the invention is scanning the document on the floor, the user can also directly place the scanner on the document. The weight of the scanner itself can provide a normal force between the slip-resistant structure and the document so that a sufficient friction force can be provided to prevent the scanner from vibrating and thus prevent the scanner and the document from slipping relative to each other due to the vibration.
While the invention has been described by way of examples and in terms of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 092134870 | Dec 2003 | TW | national |
